Last week, at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, Israelis and Palestinians launched a new strategy for peace. On Tuesday, at a conference hosted by the United States, the two sides announced a "joint understanding" to immediately begin negotiations. The goal: to agree on a final peace treaty by the end of 2008.
Officials from 49 countries and international organizations attended the one-day gathering. "It is time for us to look at the future together," said Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president.
The conflict between Palestinians and Israelis has a long and violent history. Both groups claim the same land as their rightful home. Under the Annapolis agreement, talks will start on December 12. Topics include the creation of an independent Palestinian state and the removal of Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Reaching the goal of a lasting peace in 13 months will be difficult. Tens of thousands of people filled the streets of Jerusalem and Palestinian-controlled Gaza to protest the plan. The leader of the Hamas Party, which holds power in Gaza, said the conference was "doomed to failure."
Serious obstacles to peace remain, and there is much work to be done. But at least the talking has begun.